Guitar: The Six String Instrument

THE SIX STRING INSTRUMENT 1

Guitar: The Six StringInstrument

By

Prof. Jose Maria G. Pelayo IIIPsychological Researcher/Musician

Ms. Shedy Dee C. MallariPsychometrician/MusicianMr. Jose Juancho S. Pelayo Communications/Musician

[email protected] for Research and DevelopmentSystems Plus College FoundationMac Arthur Highway, Balibago, Angeles City, Philippines 2009

mailto:[email protected]


April 2015

ABSTRACT

The Guitar is a very popular instrument that iscommonly used by many musicians. This studyfocused on the factors that made the guitar moreappealing to the youth in comparison to otherinstruments. A semi structured, open endedquestionnaire was used to collect the dataessential for this study. 50 male and 50 femaleparticipants were interviewed in this study. Thedata was thematically coded to acquire theresults and conclusions. Purposive sampling wasused in this research study and the average ageof both male and female respondents is 19 [email protected] for Research and DevelopmentSystems Plus College FoundationMac Arthur Highway, Balibago, Angeles City, Philippines 2009



old. The results suggested that the guitar wasmore appealing to their generation, affordableto purchase and had a distinct image as amusician and songwriter. The study focused onacoustic guitar players and composers.

Keywords: Guitar, Acoustic, Youth, Music, Songwriting, MusicalInstrument

BACKGROUND

The Guitar, classified as a six stringinstrument, is very popular specifically theacoustic guitar, which is used in variousmethods of playing. It is commonly played withthe left hand for the chords and right hand forplucking or strumming. Some consider the [email protected] for Research and DevelopmentSystems Plus College FoundationMac Arthur Highway, Balibago, Angeles City, Philippines 2009



is a type of chordophone, traditionallyconstructed from wood with nylon or steelstrings and distinguished from otherchordophones by its nature and tuning. Themodern guitar was based by the gittern, thevihuela, the four-course Renaissance guitar, andthe five-course baroque guitar, all of whichattributed to the construction of the modernsix-string instrument.

The main types of modern acoustic guitar are theclassical guitar (nylon-string guitar), thesteel-string acoustic guitar, and the archtopguitar. Vibration is the root of the tone of theguitar strings, which is amplified by the bodyof the guitar that serves as a resonating toolto produce the sound of every string. Theclassical guitar is often played as a soloinstrument using a comprehensive fingerpickingtechnique.

Electric guitars, introduced in the 1930s, usean amplifier that can electronically manipulateand shape the tone. Early amplified guitarsemployed a hollow body, but a solid body [email protected] for Research and DevelopmentSystems Plus College FoundationMac Arthur Highway, Balibago, Angeles City, Philippines 2009



eventually found more suitable, as it was lessprone to feedback. Electric guitars have had acontinuing profound influence on popularculture. (guitar.com)

METHODOLOGY

Participants

50 male and 50 female guitarists from AngelesCity, Pampanga, Philippines were the respondentsin the study. Their average age is 19 years old.The respondents’ age of starting to play guitaris 10.5 years old. All of them are songwritersand vocalists. The respondents are allperforming public in school, church, music barsand in special occasions.

Sampling




Purposive sampling was used in this study. Allof the respondents were playing guitar,performing publicly, songwriters and vocalists.

Instruments Used

A semi structured, open ended questionnaire wasused and also a recorded interview was the basisof this research study.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY/ SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS

This study would be a basis for theacknowledgement, subliminally or consciously,why the guitar was and is a preferred musicalinstrument compared to others. This may guidemusicians, parents, and educators that the youthhave an interest in music and specifically theuse of the guitar. This study will only limit




the scope on the use of guitar, specificallyacoustic guitar, and all the aspects of singing,songwriting, and the use of the instrument as anexpression of their emotions.

Many musicians, just like the respondents have acertain artistic dexterity that may serve as anoutlet of their feelings and emotions. Such aslistening to music and remembering certainsituations in their life. The researchersacknowledge the fact that further studies orresearch should be conducted in order tosolidify and enhance the results of this pilotstudy.

PARTS OF THE GUITAR(ABOUT.COM GUITAR)

At the point in which the headstock meets theneck of the guitar, you'll find the "nut". A nutis simply a small piece of material (plastic,bone, etc.), in which small grooves are carvedout to guide the strings up to the tuners.




The neck of the guitar is the area of theinstrument you'll concentrate a great deal on:you'll put your fingers on various places on theneck, in order to create different notes.

The neck of the guitar adjoins the "body" of theinstrument. The body of the guitar will varygreatly from guitar to guitar. Most acoustic andclassical guitars have a hollowed out body, anda "sound hole", designed to project the sound ofthe guitar. Most electric guitars have a solidbody, and thus will not have a sound hole.Electric guitars will instead have "pick-ups"where the soundhole is located. These "pick-ups"are essentially small microphones, which allowthe capture the sound of the ringing strings,allowing them to be amplified.

The strings of the guitar run from the tuningpegs, over the nut, down the neck, over thebody, over the sound hole (or pick-ups), and areanchored at a piece of hardware attached to thebody of the guitar, called a "bridge".




LITERATURE REVIEW

In a 2012 study conducted in Berlin, researchersscanned the brains of 12 pairs of guitarists,all of whom were asked to play the same piece ofmusic. The researchers discovered that theguitarists' neural networks could synchronizenot only while playing the piece — but evenslightly before playing.




According to the study — which you can read hereand (in a much more reader-friendly format) here— when a guitarist shreds, he or she temporarilydeactivates the brain region that routinelyshuts down when achieving big-picture goals,signalling a shift from conscious to unconsciousthought.

When non-experienced-musicians attempt to play asolo, the conscious portion of their brain stayson, which implies that "real" guitarists areable to switch to this more creative and less-practical mode of thinking more easily.

According to policymic.com, this research makesit clear that guitarists are spiritual,intuitive people. This sort of intuitivethinking runs all the way to how guitaristslearn. Unlike musicians who learn through sheetmusic, guitarists, according to researchers atVanderbilt University, get a better grasp of asong by looking at someone playing it rather




than reading the notes on paper (Have you seenour LESSONS section, by the way?).

The intuition might come from one truth everyguitarist suspects: Playing guitar transcendssimple brain chemistry. Pat Martino, a jazzguitarist from Philadelphia, had 70 percent ofhis left temporal lobe removed when he was inhis mid-30s due to a hemorrhage. When he cameout of surgery, he couldn't play guitar.

Within two years, Martino was able to completelyrelearn how to play jazz guitar. Scientists haveused Martino's brain as an example of cerebralplasticity. For guitarists, Martino representssomething else: Playing guitar isn't a skill.It's a way of being, a way of life. (GuitarWorld 2015)

There's a certain Je ne sais quoi about a guyholding a guitar. Or so says a new study fromFrance, which suggests that a man is perceived




as more attractive to women if there’s a guitarin his hands. The study's results are similar tothe findings of a 2012 study from Israel.France, Israel, Hoboken or Bumpass, Virginia —it doesn't matter where the guitarist is from.The point is, male guitarists are generallyviewed as promising mating material. The Frenchstudy, which was conducted by researchers at theUniversite de Bretagne-Sud (University of SouthBrittany) and published in Psychology of Music,was centered around a 20-year-old man“previously evaluated as having a high level ofphysical attractiveness.” One day, this fellowapproached 300 women ranging in age from 18 toabout 22. He said hello and added, “I thinkyou’re really pretty” and asked for their phonenumbers. During a third of the encounters, hewas carrying a guitar case. For another third,he was holding a sports bag. For the last third,he wasn't holding anything. When he was carryingthe guitar case, 31 percent of the ladies gavehim their phone number. Only 14 percent gave himtheir number when he was empty-handed, and thatfigure dropped to an unhealthy 9 percent when hewas holding the sports bag. In the [email protected] for Research and DevelopmentSystems Plus College FoundationMac Arthur Highway, Balibago, Angeles City, Philippines 2009



study, which was published in Letters onEvolutionary Behavioral Science, 100 singlefemale students at two universities received aFacebook profile of a single guy accompanied bya "friend" request and the words, “Hey, what’sup? I like your photo.” Half of the women saw aphoto of the man playing a guitar. The otherhalf saw a photo of the man looking like a"regular" person, as in, devoid of a guitar.“While five of the 50 women responded positivelyto the friendship request that was sent by theprofile without a guitar, 14 of the 50 women (28percent) responded positively to the friendshiprequest that was sent by the profile with theguitar,” wrote the research team. (Fanelli 2014)

Retrieved http://www.practiceguitar.com/the-top-10-benefits-of-playing-guitar

Better intellectual capacity

One of the most obvious benefits of instrumentalmusic for students is that you can get a bettermark in music class, but did you know thatmaking music can help you in your other [email protected] for Research and DevelopmentSystems Plus College FoundationMac Arthur Highway, Balibago, Angeles City, Philippines 2009



as well? Many studies have shown that studentswho play music have generally higher test and IQscores than students who aren’t musical. Ifyou’re past your school years, countless otherstudies have proven that practicing musicians ofany age are more alert, which can lead to bettermemory retention.

Discipline and patience

Patience and discipline are virtues that so manyof us lack in today’s world. Music, however, isknown for its ability to lengthen attention spanfor its player. The discipline required tomaster guitar is also helpful in your everydaylife when coping with tedium or difficulttasks...

Relieves stress

Creating music can soothe the mind, calm tempersand even lower blood pressure.

Sense of achievement

Nothing can beat the feeling you get once youconquer a difficult passage in a piece you’vebeen working on. Hard work pays off in music,




and you’ll often feel a sense of accomplishmentif you dedicate yourself to the study of guitar.

Communicate your emotions

Ever been told to find a better outlet for youremotions than a punching bag? Playing guitar canbe the answer to your problems. If you’ve beenheartbroken, play something sad and slow. If youjust got a new job and you’re over the moon,play something loud and joyful.

Emanate your personal style

Not all music is classical and two hundred yearsold, written by some dead European guy. Othergenres of music are out there for all types ofinstruments. Ever heard a guitar play Metall?Try it out! You might like how it feels underyour fingers and how it sounds in your head.

Teamwork

One of the most rewarding things about beingable to play guitar is being able to play withother musicians like you. Not only do you get toshow off your amazing musical skills, but youcan combine your talents and make music that you




could never dream of playing on your own. Inorder for your group to find their groove,you’ll need to work together on sound, tempo andstyle; in expanding your musical horizonstogether, you’ll grow as a musician and as aperson.

Physical workout

Music isn’t just for the mind and soul-it’s goodfor the body, too! By playing guitar you arestrengthening your arms, your fingers and hands,and even your legs (playing guitar burnsapproximately 90 kCals an hour).

Bragging Rights

Say you’re at a party, and a handsomeman/beautiful woman/cute guy/hot girl asks youwhat you do. Once you play guitar, you cantruthfully say, “I’m a musician”. Let’s face it:how many people do you know that would look downon you if you told them that? Music is in, andit always will be, so cherish the fact thatyou’re a part of the never-ending trend.

Fun




That’s right, fun. Music is fun, and everyoneaccepts this. Listening to music is fun, so yourfriends will appreciate the fact that you’ve gota great way to entertain them. Playing music,though, is the most fun you can have. There’s nodenying it. When you really let yourself becomeone with the music, there’s nothing in the worldthat can stand in your way. Music is the key tolife, and it will always be one of the mostworthwhile hobbies/careers ever invented.

Another concept that music training can improveverbal memory was tested in children. Theresults showed that children with music trainingdemonstrated better verbal but not visual memorythan did their counterparts without suchtraining. When these children were followed upafter a year, those who begun or continued musictraining demonstrated significant verbal memoryimprovement. Students who discontinued thetraining did not show any improvement. Contraryto the differences in verbal memory between thegroups, their changes in visual memory were notsignificantly different. Consistent [email protected] for Research and DevelopmentSystems Plus College FoundationMac Arthur Highway, Balibago, Angeles City, Philippines 2009



previous findings for adults (A.S. Chan, Y. Ho,& M. Cheung, 1998), the results suggest thatmusic training systematically affects memoryprocessing in accordance with possible neuro-anatomical modifications in the left temporallobe (Pelayo 2010).

Loving and learning guitar are 2 differentmatters entirely. Instead of just envying yourguitar idols like most raving fans, you candevelop your style and brand. And what betterway than learning to play? Here are 7 benefitsof learning guitar that can help you be a guitarpro in no time:http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/7-benefits-of-learning-guitar

Enhancing Your Brain

Playing guitar certainly helps in enhancing yourbrain to function via initiating signals thatsubconsciously commands your hands to memorizewhere to place your finger on a certain fret beit left or right chord. All this while [email protected] for Research and DevelopmentSystems Plus College FoundationMac Arthur Highway, Balibago, Angeles City, Philippines 2009


http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/7-benefits-of-learning-guitar

http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/7-benefits-of-learning-guitar


in the appropriate manner of strumming. This isvery similiar to playing piano and even typingwhereby you know without even thinking exactlywhere or when to place your fingers on certainkeys naturally.

Satisfying Your Basic Needs

By playing guitar especially on your favoritesong or music, it helps in satisfying your basicneeds like inner fulfillment, personal pleasureand self - achievement. When that happens, youfeel more motivated to move on.

Flexibility To Play Anywhere You Want

Unlike a piano and drums, you can bring alongyour guitar when going out. Even if it is longand bulky, you can put it into carrying case andthen placed into the boot of the car if you haveone.

Get Noticed For Your Talent

Though it might seem a daunting challenge, younever know when you get noticed for your talent.Especially when someone among the crowd [email protected] for Research and DevelopmentSystems Plus College FoundationMac Arthur Highway, Balibago, Angeles City, Philippines 2009



to be the music director, producer or even thehead of the guitar band looking for additionalplayers.

Becoming A Natural Talent

If they like you, they might want you to competein some guitar idol competition where you get achance not only to impress the judges andworldwide audience but also win a contract withsome guitar company to be groomed into aprofessional guitarist should you finish in thetop 3.

Cheering Up

Instead of just staring blankly into empty spaceand wondering why things are so unfair, youmight want to vent your anger and sorrow onplaying guitar. Doing this will help in cheeringyou up.

Building A Career

But please note that impressing your futureemployers at guitar studios and judges atauditions are more difficult than impressingyour family and friends. This is the challenge




that separate guitar pros from guitar wannabes.As much as you want to play well, you need to beprepared to accept criticism, recover andimprove from there. Though this is easier to besaid than done, this is one of the essentialrequirements from every guitarist if they everwant to succeed as every guitar fan's next idol.

Furthermore, present interests in associationsbetween music and intelligence stems from twoindependent areas of research (Schellenberg,2003). One focuses on the short-term effects ofsimple listening to music. The so calledMozarteffect refers to the finding that passivelistening to music composed by Mozart producestemporary increases in spatial abilities(Hetland,2000b; Rauscher, Shaw, & Ky, 1993).Subsequent studies indicate, however, that theMozart effect is difficult to replicate(Chabris, 1999; Steele, Bass, & Crook, 1999;Steele, Dalla Bella, et al., 1999)When evident,it can be attributed to differences in arousaland mood generated by different testingconditions(Husain, Thompson, Schellenberg, 2002;Nantais & Schellenberg, 1999; Thompson,




Schellenberg, & Husain, 2001)Compared withsitting in silence for 10 minutes, listening toMozart induces more positive moods andrelatively optimal levels of arousal, which leadto higher levels of performance on tests ofspatial abilities (Pelayo 2010).

Music and rhythm have been defined as powerfulaids to language learning, memory, and recall.But is this due to structural and motivationalproperties of instrumental music and songs, oris there a relation between learners' languageaptitude and musical intelligence? It seems thateveryone who feels motivated to do it is able tolearn other languages to some degree, as long asan appropriate learning method is used. However,learning foreign languages is not easy, as manyvariables need to be considered if the desiredresult is optimal language learning in a nonbilingual environment. Probably, one of the mainobstacles to learning a foreign language in thiscontext is the lack of continuous targetlanguage auditory input. While in first languageacquisition babies start receiving [email protected] for Research and DevelopmentSystems Plus College FoundationMac Arthur Highway, Balibago, Angeles City, Philippines 2009



stimuli in their mother's womb, in foreignlanguage learning opportunities to receiveauditory input are mainly limited to theclassroom, the teacher, the classmates, andsituations in which listening is included in thelesson. Language acquisition depends oninteraction. With interactions affect has beenshown to be a mediating force for communicationto become successful. For instance, teacher talkand parental talk share many similar features.Both can be described as simplified codescreated to help the hearer to learn andunderstand language (Arnold and Fonseca-Mora,2007). They share features such as the frequentuse of repetition, of formulaic expressions,expansions, preference for simplifiedvocabulary, change in voice volume, andmodification of intonational contours. Thesespeech melodies are indicators of emotions andthey have a great impact on communicationbecause, as Berger and Schneck (2003: 689)state: "Humans are not thinking machines thatfeel, but rather, feeling machines that think."These melodies become a help for languagelearning. Exaggerated melodic contours found [email protected] for Research and DevelopmentSystems Plus College FoundationMac Arthur Highway, Balibago, Angeles City, Philippines 2009



adultdirected-to-infant-speech are considered tobe parental intuitive behaviour to guide theirbabies' musical beginnings (Papousek 1996), butthey are also seen as a speciesspecific learningguidance towards language (Feu and Pinero 1996,Wermke and Mende 2009). Melodies, and music ingeneral, are present in the language teachingcontext as well. (Melodies That Help: TheRelation between Language Aptitude and MusicalIntelligence. Author(s): Fonseca-Mora, M. C.;Toscano-Fuentes, C.; Wermke, K. Source: OnlineSubmission, Anglistik International Journal ofEnglish Studies v22 n1 p101-118 2011 PubDate:2011-00-00 Pub Type(s):Journal Articles;Reports –Research) (Pelayo, Galang 2013).

According to a study published in Psychology ofMusic, a woman is more likely to give her numberto a guy carrying a guitar case than a manholding a gym bag. For the experiment, anattractive man approached 300 women and aftercomplimenting them, asked for their phonenumbers. He did this in three differentscenarios: holding a guitar case, toting [email protected] for Research and DevelopmentSystems Plus College FoundationMac Arthur Highway, Balibago, Angeles City, Philippines 2009



sports bag, or not carrying anything at all.Over a third of the women gave their digits whenthe guy was carrying the guitar case, 14 percentresponded positively when he was empty handed,and only 9 percent shared their number when agym bag was in sight. Women associate musicaltalent with a genetic advantage and intellectualability. Plus, there’s the coolness and funfactor. “Music induces a positive effect, andthis positive effect primes receptivity to acourtship request,” says Nicolas Guéguen, studyauthor and researcher at the University of SouthBrittany in France.

Another study, published in Letters onEvolutionary Behavioral Science, showed thatwomen are more receptive to a Facebook profilepicture that shows a man with a musicalinstrument. Researchers sent out a friendrequest to 100 single women with a note, “Hey,what’s up? I like your photo.” The onlydifference was that the sender’s own profilepicture either included a guitar or didn’t. Atthe end of the study, 28 percent of [email protected] for Research and DevelopmentSystems Plus College FoundationMac Arthur Highway, Balibago, Angeles City, Philippines 2009



responded positively to the apparent guitarplayer, yet only 10 percent of women respondedpositively to the guy sans guitar. In short,priming a female with the notion that you’re amusician is sort of like getting your foot inthe door. It’s similar to other tactics thatwill soften her up, like gently touching herforearm as you flirt. Researchers even have aname for it: sexual selection theory of music.Sure, it sounds like something we made up, butthe theory suggests that music serves as asignal in mate selection.

http://www.mensfitness.com/life/entertainment/study-women-more-attracted-to-guys-who-play-guitar

CONCLUSION

Based on the gathered data from 50 male and 50 female guitar players, songwriters and vocalists, the respondents prefer the acoustic guitar. Thematic coding has determined their preference, Although more studies should be conducted to further strengthen the conclusion, [email protected] for Research and DevelopmentSystems Plus College FoundationMac Arthur Highway, Balibago, Angeles City, Philippines 2009






the researchers purpose was to determine a foundation in order to have a basis for this type or nature of research that hopefully would be investigated in the future.

1. The guitar is popular to the youth2. The guitar is more affordable3. The guitar (as stated on the Literature Review) had a very big impact on the oppositesex

4. The guitar is handy5. The guitar can be played solo or with a group

6. The most interesting is that only males see a guitar as a female’s body curves

REFERENCES

Denyer, Ralph (1992). The Guitar Handbook. Robert Fripp (foreword) (Fully revised and updated ed.). London and Sydney: Pan Books. ISBN0-330-32750-X.




French, Richard Mark (2012). Technology of the Guitar. Robert Fripp (foreword). New York; Heidelberg: Springer Verlag. ISBN 978-1-4614-1920-4.

Gioia, Joe. The Guitar and the New World: A Fugitive History (Albany: State University of New York Press, 2013) 254 pp.

Pelayo, J. III, Mallari, S. (2015) A Review on the “Mozart Effect Phenomenon” Related Studies and Conclusions

Pelayo, J. III (2010) The Effect of Mozart Musicon Social Learning Behavior of High School Students

Pelayo, J III, Gslsng, E. (2013) Social and Emotional Dynamics of College Students with Musical Intelligence and Musical Training

Sethares, William A. (2010). "Alternate tuning guide". Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin; Department of Electrical Engineering.2010 PDF version by Bill Sethares. Retrieved 19 May 2012.



Guitar: The Six String Instrument

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